arts, culture, AND ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Supporting arts and cultural initiatives in an environmentally aware and sustainable way is a key part of Youth Speak’s work. When the artistic and cultural ideas of young people are supported in a way that brings tangible, positive changes to their physical environment is when they feel they truly have a voice in what comes next.
“our stories” audiobook initiative
A new generation of young people in the region are educated primarily in Kurdish, and are interested in supporting up and coming local writers who can speak to the stories of the modern era in the diversity of languages and dialects read by young people today. However, despite this interest in supporting local writers, young people in KRI are, like youth around the world, highly connected to the internet and increasingly less likely to pick up and read a physical book. Instead, interest in audiobook formats is growing, but access, particularly for Kurdish literature, is extremely limited. Youth Speak, with support from Ideas Beyond Borders, is working with local authors and voice actors to create a library of accessible audiobooks in local languages.
Podcast Collective
Youth Speak is working with young activists who have stories to tell and ideas to share to create a podcast. This podcast will be a pathway through which youth can speak on community issues that matter to them, interview experts, and offer ideas to make society a more equitable society. This project is supported by Terre Des Hommes - Germany.
BIO-GAS DIGESTER
With support from Terre Des Hommes - Germany and a leading expert in biogas technology from Baghdad, Youth Speak has trained young people in building a biogas digester and developed the first sample of one that is used at the youth center as proof of concept. In order to ensure that this technology is widely accessible, the team also created a DIY video laying out the steps of building a digester, how to feed it, and common problems and their solutions.
UPCYCLING WORKSHOPS
This project is supported by Terre Des Hommes - Germany and provided youth with the opportunity to gain skills in recycling and upcycling household materials, as well as to teach peers skills in the same, with the aim to promote environmental awareness and decrease waste. Seven upcycling workshops took place, teaching young people how to reuse clothing, paper goods, household items, tires, and pallets. Each workshop was led by a young person for other young people, giving the facilitator the opportunity to develop teaching skills as well as provide the opportunity to reduce waste in the community.
LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES
With support from the Violet Jabara Charitable Trust, Youth Speak partnered with local youth artists, writers, and readers in Duhok and surrounding IDP and refugee camps to design and install 20 Little Free Libraries. Each Little Library is being designed by a local youth artist, and Youth Speak is hosting a series of literacy events, including book exchanges, slam poetry events, and zine making workshops to develop local, contextualized access to books and opportunities for free expression.